Venous access port assembly with radiopaque indicia

Abstract

A venous access port assembly ( 10 ) having a housing base ( 28 ) with a discharge port ( 16 ), a septum ( 14 ) and a cap ( 48 ). An interior reservoir ( 22 ) is defined by a well ( 30 ) in the housing base and a bottom ( 62 ) of the septum, and a passageway ( 20 ) extends from the reservoir through the discharge port ( 16 ). The housing base ( 28 ) is provided with radiopaque markings ( 60 ) on the bottom wall ( 44 ) thereof, including radiopaque indicia ( 70 ) that identify an attribute of the assembly ( 10 ) after its implantation and clearly appear on an X-ray of the patient in a manner informing the radiologist or technologist and the medical practitioner of that particular attribute.

1 . A venous access port assembly for implantation into a patient, comprising: 
 a housing having a discharge port, a needle-penetrable septum and a cap securable to the housing and retaining the septum securely in the assembly, the housing having a housing base defining a bottom wall of at least one reservoir, with the housing base having an outwardly facing bottom surface, and    the housing base including radiopaque markings, the markings including indicia that indicate an attribute of the assembly when an X-ray of the patient is taken so that the practitioner can be advised of the attribute of the assembly after implantation.    
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the radiopaque markings are applied to a surface of the housing base.  
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the radiopaque markings are applied to the outwardly facing bottom surface of the housing base.  
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the radiopaque indicia are applied in a mirror-image orientation.  
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 3 , wherein the assembly further includes radiotransparent material molded around the housing base.  
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the radiopaque markings include at least one ring circumscribing the radiopaque indicia.  
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 6 , wherein at least one ring includes a gap that indicates the location about the circumference of the housing of the discharge port, which is disposed adjacent the gap.  
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 6 , wherein the radiopaque markings include two rings circumscribing the radioaque indicia.  
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 8 , wherein at least one ring includes a gap that indicates the location about the circumference of the housing of the discharge port, which is disposed adjacent the gap.  
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the radiopaque markings comprise radiopaque marking fluid.  
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 10 , wherein the fluid contains tungsten.